Match Preview: Valletta vs Swieqi United

Valletta and Swieqi United will meet at 20:30 tonight at the Centenary Stadium, following the match between Hibernians and Birkirkara. Denis Guerra’s team are looking for their third win this season, but Swieqi United will want nothing more than a strong response following the defeat against Hibs suffered before the International Break.

Return From International Break

Valletta will come into the match having gotten six points from their opening four matches. The team is in its maiden season and although many players have been teammates for a while, there are also new recruits and youngsters rising into the senior team who require time to adjust. This besides the changes brought about by the formation of the team under Valletta’s structure.

Questioned whether the international break served as a good time to continue consolidating the style of play and enabling these new players to gel within the squad, Valletta’s coach Denis Guerra said, “These breaks are useful to work on different things that you want to try to utilise in the matches. I am strongly against the idea of changing formation systems in a match that you have not had time to develop with players during training. So, yes these three weeks have been very good for us because, although we had two players with the U17 Malta national team and another with the senior Malta national team, we had a lot of our squad available to work with and try these things. We also had friendlies scheduled to try things out, so the break was very positive for us.”

Meanwhile, Swieqi United ended the first stint with a defeat at the hands of Hibernians. The Owls’ notably enjoyed a fair share of possession in their match against Hibernians, but lacked ruthlessness in front of goal. Swieqi United’s Saviour Darmanin concurred, “Hibernians were very organized at the back so one must give credit to them, but definitely we needed to do better when getting ourselves into the box.”

Darmanin was asked whether he believes that the international break came at the right time to be able to process the loss and do some work on improving details in their approach. He replied, “I am not one to believe that such a long break after a loss is good. In fact, I made it a point to schedule friendlies during the break to ensure continuity for the team. However, yes in some way it does allow some time to work on some adjustments.”

Asked about whether he is likely to shuffle his starting eleven based on this and also the performances by a number of his players at senior and youth international level, Saviour Darmanin replied in the affirmative. He noted, “Of course, we analysed the match and also the performances of players in our team throughout the training and international matches, both at senior and youth level. Looking at all these things together we will of course make some changes.”

Injury & Suspension Updates

Valletta have been without Sabrin Blihi since their match against the Greens, among other injuries. Questioned about the return of these players, Guerra noted that at the time of speaking to The Sporting Fan he is yet to carry out the final training session with the team which would allow him to assess the availability of players and inform his selection.

One key change this season from Denis Guerra has been the deployment of Anna Aloisio in attack. Questioned whether he is intending to continue with this idea or if perhaps the strength of Swieqi United will push him to put her in a more defensive role for the match, Denis Guerra remained tight-lipped noting once more that his final decisions rests on the final training sessions.

Meanwhile, Swieqi United’s goalkeeper Paty is among contention for selection after she served her suspension from the match against San Gwann. Among long-term absentees yet to make their first appearances this season for the Owls is their captain Dorianne Theuma, as well as Jade Flask and Andy Zammit.

Questioned about their return, Darmanin said, “Our captain Dorianne Theuma returned to training this week and I believe she could be making her first appearance in the league soon this season. Of course, being our captain, as well as her vast experience and vocal presence in midfield, make her an important piece of our team.” However, he was reluctant to unveil whether the veteran will be taking to the pitch tonight or not.

Darmanin also noted that Flask and Zammit are both steadily making their way back. “Jade Flask is making good progress but we are of course careful to not rush players back to avoid issues after. Andy Zammit is also recovering well and likely to return with the group by the end of the year.”

Expectations From The Match

Valletta’s coach was questioned on how much he believes that Swieqi United’s loss before the break has a psychological effect on the Owls and whether he thinks that the blow to the confidence may improve their chances of breaking them down. Denis Guerra replied, “Yes, Swieqi suffered a loss against Hibs. We also lost against Hibs which was our first match and maybe we did not have certain players, but still we saw that Hibs have a strong team. Psychologically, I don’t think it makes too much of a difference because Swieqi United have very experienced players, both national and international. So, I do not think this will affect their performance. On the contrary, I think the fact that they lost a match will make them push more.”

Meanwhile, this will be the first match that Swieqi United will play at the Centenary Stadium in this campaign. Questioned whether he feels that the larger space afforded by the pitch is more favourable to the strengths of his team Darmanin replied, “The Centenary Stadium is larger, but I am of the opinion that if a team wants to win the title you need to find a way to win irrespective where you are playing.”

He made clear that the intention is to show a response to the defeat and win the three points, but that he is also aware that Valletta currently hold a similar position in the table. “Valletta have the same points as us at this point in time so this is a match that holds weight for both teams. I believe this is another opportunity to show that we are capable, but also it is clear that teams have strengthened and no opponent can be taken lightly.”

The match will be played under the lights at the Centenary Stadium (20:30), following the clash between Hibernians and Birkirkara (18:00).

Lead Images: Lara Schembri / Jeffrick Cachia

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